Far-Infrared Semiconductor Detectors and Focal Plane Arrays

Abstract

The detection of far-infrared (far-IR) and sub-mm-wave radiation is resistant to the commonly employed techniques in the neighbouring microwave and IR frequency bands. In this wavelength detection range the use of solid state detectors has been hampered for the reasons of transit time of charge carriers being larger than the time of one oscillation period of radiation. Also the energy of radiation quanta is substantially smaller than the thermal energy at room temperature and even liquid nitrogen temperature.Development of focal plane arrays started in 1970s last century and has revolutionized imaging systems in the next decades. This chapter presents progress in far-IR and sub-mm-wave semiconductor detector technology of focal plane arrays during the past 20 years. Special attention is given on recent progress in the detector technologies for real-time uncooled THz focal plane arrays such as Schottky barrier arrays, field-effect transistor detectors, and microbolometers. Also cryogenically cooled silicon and germanium extrinsic photoconductor arrays, and semiconductor bolometer arrays are considered.KeywordsField Effect TransistorFocal Plane ArrayImpurity BandSchottky Barrier DiodeJames Webb Space TelescopeThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.